50 Shades of Millimeters – 50mm Lens

Maybe for the world 50 shades means a novel, but for us the photographers, the number fifty means one of the best lenses we can own to improve our work as artists. Let’s talk about 50mm lens.

Most of the cameras that we buy when we get ourselves into photography come with a lens of 18-55, or is paired with a telephoto lens which could be from 55-250 or 75-300. But why is the 50mm lens our best gadget when we want to increase our artistic eye?

I’m going to tell you why the 50mm is the option par excellence:

PROS

You can find it in different brands such as: Canon, Nikon, Fuji, and others. Also, you have a choice between digital or analogue.

The price is very very reasonable. It’s about 100$ for the cheapest one. Example: with Canon you have a 3-range of price and quality, the one with the white line ($), red line ($$) and gold line ($$$). So, it’s up to you in which range you are interested in.

The light quality is awesome; with the cheapest one you can have an aperture of F1.8 (White line), F1.4 (Red line) and 1.2 (Gold line).

You will have creative field focus (blur background). I mean your photo will be artistic with this type of lens, one object focused and the rest unfocused all over the picture.

It is a good lens for video – as we know the photography and the video are very different subjects in the same range. For a nice video we need a very open lens and a good light, with a 50mm you will have a kickass video during the day and night.

Perfect for night photography thanks to the light spectrum of this lens; no problems with shades and grains.

Easy to carry for everyday use; thanks to his small size and light weight.

Easy to find in every photography or electronics gadget store.

CONS

The lifetime of this lens, for the cheapest one, is not good enough if you use it a lot (problems with the automatic focus after using for more than one year intensely), but at the same time it has a good price to re-buy it pretty often.

It’s not as heavy and bulky as other lenses, so it looks like a toy. Let’s say it’s a toy with a great potential.

The zoom is fixed with this lens; so the one who’s going to move to have the perfect picture will be you, not the lens.

CONCLUSION

We can say it is the best option thanks to the light spectrum which allows between F1.7 to F2.3 more light of the diaphragm than the 18-55mm (normally the type of lens which comes with the camera) and has a maximum of F3.5 for the apperture.

Thanks to the variety in prices and quality, there’s a option for every photographer. It’s up to you to decided if you want to spend more of your budget on your first buy, or to have a better quality/lightness lens or if you want to try the cheapest one at first and then upgrade it for a better one. That’s why I love the 50mm.

Also, it’s perfect if you want to do some videos or another type of visual art. But the greatest thing about this lens is its use at night, where can adjust the parameters and still have a great quality picture, without using an external flash.

So, if you are a beginner and you want to improve your skills, with the 50mm lens you’ll be impressed for life. Once you try it you’ll never want to quit it. This type of lens is a “MUST” in every photographer’s bag.